


And Boy, Got Me Walkin' Side to Side

by ken_ichijouji (dommific)



Series: Your Heart is the Biggest Gift You Can Give Anyone [3]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anniversary Talk, Background Chris Giacometti/Phichit Chulanont, Best Friends, Birthday Cake, Couch Cuddles, Drinking, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Homebody Christophe Giacometti, M/M, Matsuri - Freeform, Music, Omake, Picnics, Pining, Relationship Advice, Romance, Side Story, Stargazing, Yuuri in the Boyfriend Jacket
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-01-06 02:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12201798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dommific/pseuds/ken_ichijouji
Summary: A collection of short pieces set during'Cause I'm a Taker, 'Cause I'm a Giver, It's Only Nature.Quite a few of these will make more sense if you read that first.First: Chris texts Victor during Chapter 2: The Harsh Light of DaySecond: Victor and Minako get drunk together upon their return from the Cup of China in Ch 7: Beijing 2Third: Yuuri arranges a stargazing Hanami party for himself and Victor in between Ch 5 & Ch 6Fourth: Victor makes a suggestion for next year's Tanabata that spins Yuuri into some necessary thinking during their stay in the rented beachhouse (Post Ch 12 specifically)Fifth: Victor watches Yuuri relaxing and reflects. (In between Ch 11 and Ch 12)Sixth: How the adult Nishigoris found out. (During Ch 4)Seventh: Hiroko's POV from ep 1 through Ch 7 of TakerThis will be updated accordingly with new ficlets! I'll always try to put them chronologically, but if I can't I'll make sure you know where it fits. <3





	1. Reach Out and Touch Someone

**Author's Note:**

> I've gotten so many wonderful Taker related prompts on Tumblr, I decided to go ahead and add them here for the full experience! They're cleaned up, more polished from Tumblr, but they're here and cute so why not?
> 
> Plus this way I can use POVs besides Yuuri's, such as Chris in Chapter 1! (Now we know the real score.)
> 
> Title is from these old AT&T long distance plan ads. (I'm ancient.) As I said on the main fic, I HC since Chris is Swiss who primarily speaks French, Tintin was a big thing for him as a kid. Hence his fondness of the cartoon from the early 90s here as well as Bianca's name.
> 
> Also I defy you to think Chris wouldn't adore everything about Josephine Baker.

It’s not quite time for the season to be in full-swing yet, but Chris knows mid-July is bearing down on him like a plane making an emergency water landing. Still, he enjoys what quiet he can between meetings with his choreographer, Josef, his costume designers, and his management team. He’s thinking something sexy, like a teasing shower seduction for the short—they just haven’t pinned down the song yet.

Chris checks his Instagram feed, seeing that Yuuri’s Thai bestie has posted a series of videos to his story—it’s him landing his newly-perfected quad. Chris is probably the only figure skater in the world who hasn't ever actually seen this musical, but he thinks maybe he should check it out someday as he watches Chulanont’s beaming smile and Bolshoi-caliber grace.

Speaking of Yuuri, though—Vitya’s been in Hasetsu for about two months, give or take. Though...he’s been quiet for a week. Chris sends a text with an attached pic of Bianca’s dainty body curled up in the nook of his arm. 

_Allo, Vitya! Comment vas-tu?_

It’s only then that Chris pulls up the timezone for...which prefecture? That's right, Saga he thinks as he sees that it’s going on ten PM there. Hm, well hopefully he’ll get a reply tomorrow.

He gets comfortable on his favorite chair with a cup of rosehip tea and Bianca by his arm, turning to HBO. He’s been working his way through an American drama about a family of morticians in Los Angeles when his phone chirps.

Chris adjusts his glasses and checks the screen. Defying all odds, it’s Vitya. 

_Hello! Sorry—things have been a bit hectic._

Chris smiles and shrugs. _The season hasn’t technically started, how hectic can it be? Is Yuuri demanding all of your time, off-rink and on?_

It takes a while for him to respond.

_…You might say that._

Chris stares at his phone. He thinks of half a year ago in another part of the world, champagne flowing, inhibitions dropping like flies. He thinks of the first solid smile he’d seen on Victor’s face in longer than he can recall, a furious _paso doble_ , stripping and taking turns holding each other while wrapped around a pole as “Partition” filled the room…

He thinks most of all of a shell-shocked Victor’s eyes lighting up and glowing, a faint flush on his face as a drunken Yuuri begged him to be his coach, and the way Victor led him out of the ballroom, Yuuri’s pants in one hand while his other fished in them for a room key, Yuuri half clinging like they were one person.  
Good on you, Chris thinks. _Ah, be good, you young lovers. I should have guessed truly._

There’s another long break, and Chris gets up for more tea. The phone chirps twice while he boils the water. The rosehip blend is lovely, a birthday gift from his mother. He should thank her again next time they speak.

Chris gets cozy with an afghan from his Grandmere and Bianca, sipping the tea. Then he looks at the texts.

_Yuuri and I aren’t romantic._

_…I think._

Chris raises an eyebrow as a third text comes in.

_We’re not just professional, but we’re not dating. I’m pretty sure we’re not dating._

Before he can reply, he sees the animation that tells him Vitya is typing. It goes on for a while, sometimes disappearing altogether. He’s starting a text before scrapping it entirely, Chris realizes.

Then finally: _No, we’re not dating. We’re just—I mean, it’s not really anyone’s concern but ours, but we’re not an item. We’re just what we are._

 _Which is?_ Chris prompts.

It takes so long for a reply, Chris thinks Vitya’s fallen asleep. It’s fine if he has—he’s an early riser by trade. He finishes the tea, washing the cup and drying it with a ginger touch. Inherited Limoges, priceless and a pattern that is impossible to replace.

Bianca sits by her dish, offering a plaintive meow. Chris smiles. “Ah, _bebe_ ,” he says. He kneels and she rubs against him before sitting by the dish. Her fluffy white tail swishes once. “Not dinner, not yet. But—some anchovies—” He grabs them and gives her two. She eats them happily, licking her whiskers clean when she’s done. He notes he’s low and needs more, so he adds them to his shopping list.

Chris heads back to the television to turn it off, having missed the bulk of the show. An old rerun of _Tintin_ is on the telly, and his beautiful girl’s namesake sings an aria on the screen. His collection of the comics is quite impressive, and he managed to win a Herge original a while back.

The phone beeps. Chris reads.

_How do you tell someone you want more than they’re giving?_

Chris’s face becomes a bit dark, like the very beginnings of a summer storm. _I don’t follow what you mean._

Vitya's reply is as follows: _How do I tell Yuuri that he means more to me than just a body at night? And how do I make him see I ache to be more to him?_  
Chris removes his glasses, cleans them, then puts them back on because surely he didn’t read that right. Alas, no, he did, it’s absolutely what he saw the first time—Yuuri is having casual fun and Vitya’s in deep, mataphorically and presumably literally. 

Jesus. 

He wipes his mouth with his hand. _I think you should just ask him what his expectations are for you both, and you should be up front about yours in return. If you don’t see eye-to-eye, perhaps it would be best to cut and run._

Again it takes a while, and Chris opens the book on his end table. It’s a non-fiction account of Josephine Baker’s life. She’s stunning and fascinating—a huge inspiration for his skating.

_He’s so perfect and I knew with the first—well, I knew right away that I’m his. That isn’t going to change if he—_

Another fit and start.

_I feel how I feel. It won’t change. But is it so wrong to want him to feel the same?_

Chris grimaces. Not that he has a lot of serious relationship experience—just one when they were both too young and naive to make it solid for the long haul—but he knows better than this. Vitya should in theory too, though he mostly keeps to himself when he’s at loose ends. He's still confused at this insistence of Vitya's to coach instead, but that doesn't mean he wants his heart to get crushed. He's a friend, though one not seen often in real life---Chris wants his happiness, but Chris also wants his motivation and his rival. 

He can be both things at once.

Well, right now Vitya's emotional turmoil is the priority. Chris replies to him after carefully choosing his words. _Sit him down, ask him. If you're given the green light, keep going and see what happens. If it's yellow or red, you should stop until he’s figured himself out._

He thinks, then sends another.

_Try not to expect anything. And Vitya—if you think you’re capsizing, bail before you drown. Please._

Vitya doesn’t reply this time, either because of Yuuri or because he’s asleep. It hardly matters. Chris worries he’s overstepped a line or come across like ordering instead of offering advice. 

Chris puts his phone facedown on the side table. Bianca curls in his lap as he ignores the telly for the sunlight’s slow fade out his living room picture windows. Yuuri wouldn’t hurt Vitya on purpose…but on purpose doesn't mean _not at all_. He recalls again the night in Sochi, the stars in Yuuri’s eyes and heavenly-light of his smile as he dipped Vitya, pulling him tight hip-to-hip and spinning like they were the only two people in the world. Chris breathes and talks himself out of the worries. They’ll be fine. They’ll even end up happy.

At least, he thinks they will.


	2. Now We Danced on Tabletops, Now We Took Too Many Shots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri crashes not long after they return to Yu-Topia, so Minako dines with Victor. He drinks too much and has too few answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Victor POV here if anyone's been wanting his thoughts about some stuff in the fic.
> 
> Takes place a few hours after Beijing 2, which is Chapter 7. Yuuri's basically only just told his family.
> 
> Also...I firmly believe that Victor doesn't have a drinking problem. Victor has an "I was a professional athlete for the vast majority of my life with a stern as hell coach who likely never let me drink ever and therefore when most teens/young adults were learning where their line of 'too much booze' was, I to this day have no idea" problem. Alcohol is only empty calories and sugars, not many pro athletes get to drink wantonly while they're competing or during their seasons. (I think this is also kinda clear by how five minutes in Japan and Vitya's like 'holy shit give me one of EVERYTHING' re: food. The boy probably eats melon pan like it's going out of style.)
> 
> Chapter title from Last Friday Night by Katy Perry.

It’s not that he’s got a problem or needs a counselor or a 12-step program so much as for 27 years he was on a tight leash about nutrition, calories, and carbs. So when Victor moves to Hasetsu he keeps messing up and drinking too much too fast and going down like an elevator with a cut cable. Mari and Toshiya both mocked him for days the first time, but in his defense that sweet potato sochu tasted so smooth, it may as well have been water. 

He figures out after that he needs to be more careful, and then not long after his relationship with Yuuri changes in a way that’s both in his favor and definitely not. It’s nice---it’s nice to have someone every night to kiss and please and touch who kisses and pleases and touches in return, but Yuuri’s just out of his reach in the way that matters until he asks the question the week of Tanabata.

He’s not surprised when Yuuri says he needs time. He wanted an immediate yes, enthusiasm, big smile, soft kiss. He got three days of contemplation and a shy entwining of their fingers with a demand of “be my boyfriend.”

“Be my coach,” Victor thinks. “Be my boyfriend. Maybe—hopefully—next he’ll say for him to ‘be my husband Victor’.”

Between their schedule and dating Yuuri (what a thrill!) plus spending more time with Yuuri’s family who are just so lovely—Hiroko is like his own mother in ways that matter and so different in ways that mean more. They go to Beijing, and Yuuri moves him in about eighty ways but the one that fills his heart is Yuuri attempting his signature quad at the end of his free skate. It's out of nowhere and imperfect, and Victor throws himself at Yuuri, kissing him in a silent question. 

_Do you really see me, do you hear me Yuuri, does this mean you’re saying 'love you too'_?

They return with silver for Yuuri which is so delightful, and when Victor unpacks the dirty laundry and bags the costumes for the dry cleaner’s, there’s a knock and Yuuri asks him to talk to his mom. Victor obliges, though he’s confused until Hiroko says “Welcome to the family, Vicchan.”

Victor almost faints, comes close to crying. Yuuri never told his family. Victor wanted to shout from the roof and maybe put up some neon billboards, but he let Yuuri set the pace. And now…he’s part of them, Toshiya mentioning something with a sly wink about updating the family registry and Hiroko began fussing over him somehow more than she did before. He thinks this is a sign that Yuuri’s fallen in love too, but it’s hard to say until he hears the words. 

Minako comes for dinner that night, sitting in her usual place with a bottle of sake and a bowl of unagi don. Victor sits close by with the same meal, the eel fresh as ever, barbequed to perfect. The sauce and rice are stirred together, and Victor pops a gyoza into his mouth with his chopsticks. Yuuri, precious Yuuri, has been hit by the freighter that is jet lag. Beijing's only two hours behind, but he can fall asleep anywhere anytime without traveling all day, and he goes down with Makkachin shortly after Minako's arrival.

Minako lifts her cup. Victor smiles and does the same. “To Yuuri,” she calls.

“To my Yuuri,” he agrees as he knocks back his drink.

Minako’s paused with hers at her lips, not drinking. She recovers and shoots it. They eat more of their food and when they pour more sake, she speaks. “ _Your Yuuri_ , hm?”

Victor’s had enough he’s not as tight lipped as usual.”Probably, it’s more correct that I’m his Victor.” He takes another drink. “If he wants me.”

Minako snorts. “I think you’re all good there.”

Not the way that counts. 

Victor sips his sake without a reply. He eats another dumpling followed by a large mouthful of eel and rice.

Minako gets another bottle. Victor wonders where she puts it—she has to weigh less than Yuuri, as she's still physically every inch a ballerina. “Trust me when I say, Yuuri doesn’t let people close. He’s bad at noticing outside himself, and he builds walls around his heart.”

Victor almost instantly sobers up. It's worse (better?) than greasy food and coffee.

“You’re close,” Minako says with a slight slur. The early signs of swaying fill her movements.“You’re closer than anyone except maybe Phichit Chulanont, though he’s definitely never thought of him that way nor let Phichit do…things.”

Victor feels tired and slow. She's annoyingly lacking specificity. “Things?”

Minako’s voice becomes throaty, her eyebrows waggling. “ _Things_.”

Victor coughs, remembering how in June she was the first to discover the change in their relationship off the rink. “I um—”

“Don’t give me details, he’s like a nephew,” Minako grumbles, some of her sake sloshing out of her cup onto the table and her Paige denim skinny jeans. 

Victor downs two more cups of sake, returning to buzzed. His head feels heavy, his neck not wanting to keep him upright. Lying with his Yuuri sounds much better than this. It always is better than anything, but it'd be much better than vertigo and sleep-laden heaviness.

“You’re good to him, like I said,” Minako replies. “I’m glad you came. I’m glad you fell in love too.”

Victor thinks of being asked for a one night stand to make a skating performance more convincing. He thinks of weeks spent warming each other’s beds, and finally he had to be the one to say _can this be more? Will you give me at least a part of your heart?_ He thinks of a press conference where Yuuri said he doesn’t want to let go...but his arrival showed Yuuri the love given by his family and friends.

He also thinks of Yuuri telling him to stay by his side, begging for comfort in his hour of need. He sees in his memory like it just happened Yuuri skating a quad flip instead of a safer jump solely because it’s Victor’s, as if to say _I am yours, please understand, I’ll say the words soon._

He thinks of a smile that makes him soar and brown eyes that are the most brillaint sight he'll ever witness when they light in a way he’s sure is for him and him alone.

Victor’s sake tastes like hope and patience. “Me too.”


	3. I Took the Stars From Our Eyes, and Then I Made a Map

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's attempt at something with which he is both unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
> 
> Romance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri's POV here.
> 
> I don't think in real life Hanami food is easily obtained outside of Sakura watching season, but just go with it this time. This is set between Ch 5: The Press Conference, and Ch 6: Beijing 1. 
> 
> Title's from Cosmic Love by Flo.
> 
> PS pay attention to Hiroko here, because as she said in Ch 12 of Taker, _Moms know_ just like Thirty Helens Agree.

The weather is still mild, not yet so chilly at night that heavy coats or clothing are necessary, but it is a beach town and so the wind comes over the waves kind of ruining the peace. Yuuri’s been working hard since the Press Conference, but tomorrow’s a rest day. Minako cut his ballet time short because of an office party having rented her bar for the night, so Yuuri is at loose ends.

Loose ends these days usually mean an extended soak in the onsen followed by him and Victor fucking a few times until sleep becomes a necessity. He doesn’t mind those nights—far from it—but he feels a need for something different tonight. Yuuri sits on a stool in the Yu-Topia kitchen while his mom preps for the evening rush. Broth boils on the stove in a heavy pot and the smell of oil hangs in the air, permeating the room. “Mom?”

“Yes?” she asks absently as she gets a whole salmon out of the fridge. She fillets and de-bones it for the night’s sashimi special with precision. Yuuri can do it as well, naturally. He considers maybe one day showing off that skill for Victor.

“Do we have a basket? Or old blankets?”

“Basket…” His mom replies as she runs her hand down the fish. She grimaces a third of the way down, grabbing the tweezers. Out comes three pin bones. “The ones for Hanami?”

“Yeah,” Yuuri says.

“Hm, they should be in the storage room we let Yurio sleep in,” she says after a moment. “Do you need them?”

“Well, just one,” Yuuri says. “Thanks!” 

He hops off the stool and heads to the room in question. It’s attached to his and Victor’s, though Victor is nowhere to be found. He slides the door open and to his left is a giant, fancy-but-has-seen-better-days basket made of white wicker lined in gingham of cream and apple green. He grabs it along with a thick blanket, folding it and putting it on the bottom. Then he calls the place he always used in high school for Hanami with the Nishigoris. The last time was when Yuu-chan was pregnant and almost bursting, he recalls as he places the order. He borrows Victor’s bike to grab the food when it’s ready and rides it back to Yu-Topia. 

Victor reappears at this point, Makkachin at his heels with a wagging tail. “Yuuri,” he says warmly. 

Yuuri gives him a smile. “Hey, I got a surprise. Will you come with me?”

Curiosity dominates Victor’s expression. “Of course.”

“Grab a jacket,” Yuuri says as he zips up his own. Victor puts on the gray puffy jacket he wears during practice, and Makkachin follows as they head out. The basket is looped over Yuuri’s arm as they end up at the beach in the spot from four months ago when Yuuri decided he could let Victor in without any fear. He spreads out the blanket and puts the rest in the middle—a Hanami party package with karaage, a two-person bento full of makizushi and tamago, takoyaki which is one of Victor’s favorites, a variety of different mochi, and sake for two. 

Makkachin boofs and chases in the background as Victor watches Yuuri finish getting things in order. He kneels, looking up at Victor. The sun dips low on the horizon, blue skies turning golden with faded stripes of pink and purple. Yuuri blushes and clears his throat. “Sit.”

Victor does as he's told. “What’s all this?”

“Normally, a Hanami party is for sakura viewings in the spring,” Yuuri explains. “But I thought….you and I could stargaze here at the beach.”

Victor swallows, looking a bit thrown. 

Yuuri smiles. “Relax,” Yuuri orders.

Victor seems to at his instructions. They grab their chopsticks and eat. It’s a comfortable silence that stretches, and Victor and Yuuri both feed Makkachin bits of chicken. When the food is gone, Victor helps Yuuri clear the dishes, putting them into the basket. The sky darkens further, the stars making themselves known high above. Victor and Yuuri lean back on their hands. Victor’s left is close enough to Yuuri’s right, and he reaches out and strokes his pinky over his knuckles. 

Victor’s eyes widen.

Yuuri smiles. “I missed them,” he says as he looks skyward. “Detroit has so much artificial light, you can’t see them. Here it’s dark enough that it makes this possible.”

“Which ones are which?” Victor asks, leaning close. 

Yuuri leans nearer as well, and they look at each other for a moment before he points to one bright star in particular. “You see that group of five? The ones that look like a couple of mountain peaks?”

“Mmm,” Victor says. 

“Cassiopeia,” Yuuri names it. “And that one over there? It’s kind of a person-shape? That’s Andromeda.”

He names a few more that are visible while Victor hangs on his every word. When he runs out of steam he takes Victor’s hand, holding it while his thumb traces the vein leading to his heart. It’s too dark to tell if Victor’s blushing, but he clears his throat regardless as he looks into Yuuri’s eyes. Yuuri leans in for a long, soft kiss with one hand wrapped around the nape of Victor’s neck. His fingers run through the short hairs there, and Yuuri wonders what it would have been like to kiss Victor before the haircut. It doesn’t matter, really, since he gets to kiss Victor in the here and now whenever he so wishes.

He pushes the slightest bit, and Victor ends up on his back with Yuuri pressed to his chest. He doesn’t intend for it to go beyond this as it’s a public beach and the entire town knows who they are but still…it’s nice to kiss Victor out under the stars as if they’re at the ends of the Earth.

Victor pulls Yuuri close by the belt loops on his jeans, and Yuuri sets his glasses aside. There’s a complex look on Victor’s face, mostly affectionate but also a little stunned. “ _Lapochka_.”

Yuuri smiles down at Victor while he brushes his bangs off his forehed. “Mhm?” Yuuri makes a point to not kiss Victor's mouth, rendering him unable to answer. He chooses instead to kiss his cheekbone a couple of times. 

Victor grips Yuuri tighter like he thinks a strong wind can carry him away. 

Victor doesn’t speak, instead moving so their lips meet again. Kissing him this time is like a snowfall—it’s soft and lush, the world is silent in a way that rings of purity, and Yuuri loves him so much he dare not even breathe lest it be too loud.

When the kissing slows to a stop, Victor looks at Yuuri like he’s why the sun rises and sets. 

Yuuri blushes and waits.

Words don’t come, Victor instead kissing him again. They lose track of time as they're too wrapped up in each other to make sense of the cooling air and change in the sky from black to blue, but then the sun rises and a dishevelled kiss-struck Victor rasps, “We never went home.”

They didn’t, and they didn’t have sex either. They made out for hours like middle school kids left alone with the door closed for the first time. “Oops.”

Makkachin boofs from the end of the blanket. Yuuri chuffs an embarrased laugh as he sits on his heels. Victor is slow to rise off his back, and in the early morning light Yuuri sees the flush on his face. His hair’s a huge disaster (probably from Yuuri’s hands) and his eyes are glassy like he doesn’t know how to feel.

“Come on, we better get back,” Yuuri says around another laugh. 

Victor just nods with that same stunned look, taking the basket from Yuuri to carry it home. 

Too bad inn work begins so early; they might have made back it unnoticed. As it stands, Yuuri doesn’t see the smile on his mother’s face when she notices they enter Victor’s room together.


	4. It's Our Paradise and It's Our War Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Victor, Makkachin, a quiet night on the couch, and a serious conversation about a certain important date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place two days after Ch 12 ends. So like...still in the rental house, still eating party leftovers. 
> 
> The book, _Matsuri_ exists! It's out of print, though. :C But used copies seem to be on Amazon.
> 
> Phichit is present and Phichit also once again doesn't understand boundaries. "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" is of course from "Annie Get Your Gun!" He can get a sparrow with a bow and arrow!
> 
> Poor Makkachin, constantly forced to move because his dads can't stay away from each other. Ah well. Such a snuffly old bear of a sweet boy.
> 
> Also God Forbid Yuuri let Victor have his way without adding some bullshit. Just...God Forbid.
> 
> Title from ZAYN's Pillowtalk.

Victor has a book which is less than shocking as his reading habit can only be called _voracious_ , but the fact that the book is an out of print harcover coffee-table number called _Matsuri_ has Yuuri’s attention. “Hm,” Yuuri says as he looks over his mobile at Victor. They’re at the opposite ends of the couch, Makkachin draped in the middle over their entwined legs. Victor has on a pair of hot pink cartoon bunny socks, Yuuri has electric blue ones with chibi pigs, and they’re both in well-worn pj pants and comfortable, well-loved t-shirts and sweaters. Victor thumbs through his book. His eyes light up, and he marks a photo with a chartreuse sticky tab. 

Yuuri texts Phichit until Victor does this one too many times. Victor fails to notice his stare as he does it three more times.

“What are you doing?” Yuuri asks.

“Making notes for next Tanabata,” Victor remarks. “I think I like the Asagaya Minami Matsuri best. I haven’t spent much time in Tokyo—I rarely got to see anything at all if I was competing here. I think for our first anniversary a jaunt to Tokyo would be nice, don’t you agree?”

“That’s not our anniversary,” Yuuri thinks out loud as he types on his phone again. “June 20th is our anniversary.”

“June 20th is the first time we had sex,” Victor says as he turns the page. “August 7th was the day we became a couple.”

“That’s kind of nitpicky, isn’t it?” Yuuri retorts. Phichit just sent a selfie of him covered in his hamsters and in an oversized red shirt that...is that a Swiss Skating Federation logo? 

The selfie has a caption of _anything you can do, I can do better_ with a few musical notes and a winky face. Another text arrives--- _It's made from Boyfriend Material. Bae gives the best gifts._

 _If you post that online, you’ll make your country sad_ , Yuuri sends. Ah revenge, since apparently Phichit thinks he can get away with wearing Chris's clothing unscathed. Not after the spankings remark the other day. Not a chance in Hell.

Phichit sends a shrug emoji with a tongue sticking out one. _Nah, it’s for bae’s spank bank. Spoiler alert: I’m having a no-pants party._

“Oh come on,” Yuuri groans out loud.

“Don’t get moody because I’m correct,” Victor answers without making eye contact.

“No, I’m—” Yuuri gives him an incredulous look. “But you’re not?”

“The anniversary is the date when your relationship changes from casual to serious,” Victor speaks wisely, far too much so for it to be real.

“I’m not letting you read An An ever again,” Yuuri sighs. “You know it's 18 year olds, right? It’s basically what Cosmo is in America.”

“I thought Elle was its sister publication?” Victor glances at him before gasping and marking another picture. This one is of a crowd on New Year’s Eve. “Full kimono! Yuuri! I want to do this!” He holds up a candid of men in formal, traditional attire at the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. 

Victor would look so lovely, Yuuri believes. Maybe he can wear scarlet and white this time instead of silver and violet... “We can arrange that,” Yuuri says. “And I still say you’re wrong—most couples I know count it from first date or hook up. Which would be June 20th. So _I’m_ right and _you're_ wrong.”

The part of Yuuri’s mind that lives to be cruel whispers like a devil in the guise of a snake that there won’t be an anniversary, but it’s fainter, has been since his birthday. Another voice, a bright one that sounds unnervingly like Celestino booms about how lovely it will be to spend the time in Tokyo together just them. A quiet shinkansen ride, a romantic hotel suite with the chef providing them fancy desserts for their special occasion, taking Victor to a fine dining restaurant that doubles as an undercover ninja house…

“I’m going to consult the expert and settle this once and for all,” Victor says. 

“Chris doesn’t count, he’ll side with you out of loyalty,” Yuuri says. He moves towards him, irritating Makkachin into taking his former spot as payback with a frustrated canine sigh. Yuuri leans on top of Victor trying to steal his phone. Victor holds it as far as possible like a game of Keepaway. “Hey!”

“Maybe I’m texting Yakov,” Victor laughs. “Maybe Mila. Maybe _Georgi_.”

“Then I’ll poll Celestino, Minako, and my parents,” Yuuri counters. 

Victor struggles to not laugh in his face. “You’re going to ask _Okaasan_ if the first time _I bedded you_ is our anniversary?”

Yuuri trumpets like a scared elephant. He collapses onto Victor’s sternum. “Oh my god. _Why_. Why would you point that out to me? I’ll have to move into the Hasetsu shrine and devote my life and chastity to Amaterasu. That isn’t even what Amaterasu _does_! You've upset me so much I can’t think of the other gods! Any of them!”

Victor smiles. “ _Lapochka_ ,” he says warmly. The phone went somewhere to be determined later, and Victors hands sneak up the back of Yuuri’s battered UNIQLO cardigan and Michigan Wolverines t-shirt . His skin is soft and smooth against the small of Yuuri’s back. 

Yuuri looks at him with his glasses askew and dismay in his frown. Victor’s eyes are warm and blue like the spring at Yu-Topia. 

One day, Yuuri will manage a non-cloying metaphor for his eyes.

Not today.

But one day. 

Eventually. 

Most likely he’ll manage it as his last words as he lays dying, shortly before the energy within his body returns to the universe and starts the cycle anew as food for a noble pangolin. He’s very close to his boy right now, though, and Victor smells faintly of the chocolate frosting topping Yuuri's birthday cake. Victor is warm, real, and stretched out on his back under Yuuri like a belated bithday gift.

They still haven’t fully utilized the house.

Yuuri’s eyes drop, and his hands are sneaky. When they arrive at their destination, Victor inhales with a low sound. His eyes dilate, his cheeks darken, and he swallows. “Yuuri,” he says with a rough thread in his voice.

Yuuri gives him a smile---the “Eros” smile to be specific.

When the living room resembles the aftermath of a tornado due to their clothing being thrown everywhere and they’re both thoroughly debauched, Yuuri hums in Victor's arms while he traces words and patterns in his skin. “What about _two_ anniversaries?”


	5. And I Can See You, I Can Feel You Slipping Through My Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Yuuri returns from Moscow, Victor reflects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sick with some kind of sore throat nonsense I in no way deserve, so I asked Domokunrainbowkinz (<3) for a prompt and she gave me "Lover Please Stay" by Nothing But Thieves. This resulted in me also remembering "Lover, You Should've Come Over" by Jeff Buckely which is like...the most perfect song ever written I don't make the rules. The latter is the song playing on Yuuri's phone. 
> 
> This is set the night after Ch 11 of Taker. Yuuri's been home for about 48 hours from Rostelecom.

Yuuri lies on their bed fresh from a shower with a couple of cowlicks on the back of his head. He’s on his stomach reading a book on Victor’s Kindle. Something lighthearted, most likely, given the occasional chuff of laughter that sounds from behind his closed lips. 

His hair’s definitely grown, Victor thinks. Give it a few more inches, though probably not longer than to his shoulders---Victor imagines running his hands through it, braiding it before his programs, the strands falling over and between their faces while they kiss. 

Yuuri’s in his jacket, the Turin Olympic one, as well as a pair of deep gray sweat pants with fraying hems and thick burgundy socks. Victor realizes he has earbuds in, presumably for program music he listens to on his phone. Makkachin lies next to Yuuri with his head on the small of his back, clearly sleeping from the way his eyes are closed and his breathing has such a deep and even pattern. 

Shifting, Yuuri yawns and turns his "page." Victor continues watching from the doorway.

There’s a question that sits on his lips since the Cup of China, one that he thinks he knows the answer to but there’s been a lot of running, chasing, and one-step-forward-then-two-back, or at least that was true when it all began. Victor knows since they sat on the sand in June he has to let Yuuri decide when to let them advance. He has to meet Yuuri halfway with a tentative step closer, tiptoeing quietly like he's sneaking a second piece of birthday cake after his parents went to sleep as a child.

Yuuri adjusts his body, his upper back and neck audibly cracking in multiple places. Victor considers sitting next to him and rubbing his shoulders free of tension. He thinks of giving him a kiss, a soft one with no intent other than to remind Victor of the taste of Yuuri’s mouth. He always smells like the sea and his orange-scented bodywash, and if Victor kisses him after he gets ready for the day or right before they sleep, he tastes like the green tea and charcoal from his toothpaste. Yuuri isn’t much for sweets sometimes---at least not so much as Victor himself---but still, his kisses are warm and rich like the Madagascar Victor always gets when in Paris at Edwart Chocolatiers.

His query weighs heavier tonight than yesterday, which weighed more than the day before. He’s not unhappy with what he has _but_ \---

Victor needs to ascertain if there's more.

There are Google searches he makes when Yuuri is occupied---houses for sale on Hasetsu real estate sites, short-term visa applications for his family Rabbi, Kyushu wedding venues, and _kyomokume_ wedding bands in mixed silver and gold wood grain patterns. Like a circle that never ends, like a tree that is everlasting and will grow for untold years, its countless rings telling a tale both precious and unwavering.

By some compulsion, Victor sits next to Yuuri opposite their dog. He runs a hand over his red and white clad back. Yuuri glances at him before looking a second time with a big smile---Victor’s favorite smile in the entirety of the human race. “Hi,” he says before he leans close and kisses him quickly at the corner of his lips.

“Hi. Don’t stop on my account,” Victor answers as he rubs Yuuri’s neck in circles, massaging tension out of the tissue. 

Yuuri removes an earbud, and Victor hears the music---not his programs, but soft strings and a broken-hearted male vocalist. _Burning in the corner is the only one who dreams he has you with him; my body turns and yearns for a sleep that won’t ever come. It’s never over---_

“What’s up?” Yuuri asks. His eyes are curious, his smile gentle. “Did you need me?”

Victor looks at him and opens his mouth for a moment. He’s never been good at tact or beating around the bush---yet with Yuuri, it’s like he can’t make himself speak plainly, as if there's some kind of new defienciency preventing him from using the languages at his employ. A solitary case of Yuuri-induced aphasia, he supposes. Victor swallows and then smiles. He runs his hand through Yuuri’s hair. “Not really,” he says after a while. “I simply felt an urge to say hi.”

Yuuri snorts and ends the song. He puts the Kindle and the iPhone on the nightstand. “C’mere.” 

He advances them in this small way, and Victor meets him at the halfway mark.


	6. It Doesn't Make Me Nervous...If Anything I'm Restless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Yuuko and Takeshi found out that Victor and Yuuri are a couple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got asked about how I decide to take prompts or when I take them, and I mentioned the conditions under which I'll fill them for Take including that certain POVs were good possible things to request. I also mentioned I thought it interesting no one had ever questioned when the Nishigoris found out about Victor and Yuuri being more than friends.
> 
> Five minutes later...
> 
> Anon: Well now I gotta find out.  
> Me: Ah yes, a self-own. I've seen these in the wild.
> 
> But you know honestly, I enjoyed writing this. I feel we don't hear from either of the adult Nishigoris nearly often enough, especially given their lengthy history with our Katsudon. I may do something from Takeshi's pov down the road. We'll see. Takes place during the Chugoku chapter, which is Chapter 4! Chapter title from Tove Lo's "Habits (stay high)".

The summer months are usually quite slow but with a bona fide superstar coaching Hasetsu’s homegrown hero, this is not a typical year. During open hours, the rink does more business than it has since Yuuko’s first year working there, and she’s pleased and relieved in equal measure. Though, she keeps having to confiscate her phone as well as other recording equipment from her daughters. They’re enteprising young ladies, true, but Victor’s very into Yuuri’s FS surprising the competition as well as the crowds, and so she has to threaten grounding over triple the normal amount.

They’re practicing right now, Yuuri in deep concentration as he glides across the ice. A spread eagle into an Ina Bauer during the song's soft piano solo, Victor offering critique from the center ice with a hoodie tied around his waist. 

When the piece ends and Yuuri stands with one arm beckoning, Victor gives him a long look with one finger pressed to his lips. Yuuri skates to him, and Victor says something too quietly for her to hear. Victor coaches Yuuri in a mixture of brutal honesty and soft tones like he’s a scared stray, and it seems to work. Yuuri thrives in a way he didn’t before he left town, and Yuuko doesn’t think it was like this under Celestino either.

The girls have school so Takeshi is on the same schedule as her. He stands close while they watch coach and protege confer. Yuuri smiles wide and laughs, swatting Victor’s arm before he skates back to the center with a playful look over his shoulder. Victor himself is quite pleased, and he moves out of Yuuri’s path to let him begin.

“Huh,” Takeshi says. His eyebrows are knit together.

“What?” Yuuko asks. The song begins anew, and Yuuri moves delicately and slow like a bird in flight. He’s always been so elegant on the ice, she thinks with a fond smile.

Takeshi clears his throat. “Do you think…there’s something…like…” He can’t seem to find what to say so he makes a weird half and half gesture with his hand.

Yuuko gives him a weird look. “Honey, use your words.”

Takeshi sighs and jerks his head to Victor, whose eyes are too low on Yuuri’s body while he moves but—he’s his coach. He’s making sure his legs are in the right place. “Do you think they’re more than friends?”

Yuuko squints, watching them. Yuuri finishes with flushed cheeks and sweat on his face. Victor offers critique in his usual tactless way, but then he strokes Yuuri’s damp hair fondly and whispers in his ear.

Yuuri glows, and Yuuko wonders.

_—-_

She doesn’t have to wonder for more than three days as she enters the locker area when Yuuri and Victor are present. Victor undoes Yuuri’s skates while balancing on one knee, and Yuuri listens to him chatting with a fond expression. “—those design sketches soon,” Victor finishes. He pulls the boot off, then slowly peels down Yuuri’s sock. He massages the ball of Yuuri’s foot carefully and…sensuously. 

There's no other word for it.

Yuuri gives him a smile. “I’ll look when we get home—I like three the best, so I’ll choose one of them.”

“You’ll be the most beautiful skater on the ice no matter which you choose,” Victor replies as he makes Yuuri sigh from the pressure of his hands.

“I think you need to get your eyes checked,” Yuuri replies, but it’s not his normal (completely unfounded) self-deprecation. It sounds flirtatious. 

Is Yuuri flirting? 

Yuuri had lots of admirers before he moved to America, but none of them ever seemed to catch his eye. He got chocolates every Valentine’s Day (usually from girls and boys), but Yuuko never asked what came of them until one year she was at the onsen, and his mother shared them with her. Hiroko said Yuuri informed her the boy gave them to everyone and so he wanted her and Mari to eat them, but Yuuko is pretty sure that’s not true.

Hiroko didn’t sound like she agreed, either.

Yuuko stays out of sight and raises one eyebrow. She knows eavesdropping's uncool, but asking Yuuri questions about anything not skating, dogs, or his last Play of the Game as Widowmaker tends to be fruitless.

“No, _lapochka_ ,” Victor answers. What does ‘ _lapochka_ ’ mean? “I see quite clearly, especially when it comes to you.”

Yuuko stares, taking a reflexive step back. She’s never heard Victor sound like that, as if he’s talking to something so far beyond precious he’s afraid to grip it tight because it’ll slide through his hands.

Yuuri laughs and gives Victor an unfamiliar-to-Yuuko smile. His cheeks match the shade of the April sakura, and he strokes Victor's cheek with his left hand. It’s intimate, especially since Yuuri rarely initiates contact with others. He’s hugged her maybe five times since they were children, but he lets Victor touch freely and now he even touches back. 

Takeshi was right.

Takeshi was _right_.

She disappears back into the office and lands like a falling rock into the chair. Wow. Yuuri’s got his hero wrapped around his finger, and it looks like Yuuri’s wrapped as much in turn. Yuuko gets up, pokes her head around, and peers at them; this time they're standing and from the angle if they’re not kissing, Victor must moonlight as a dentist.

They head out walking close enough they can hold hands, and Yuuko contemplates what to do with this information.

When her husband comes in from using the Zamboni, Yuuko gives him a look. “You were right, they are.”

“They who?” Takeshi asks absently. He opens a ledger to check the month’s finances. They're in the black with some to spare---she reviewed it herself an hour ago.

“Victor and Yuuri are a couple,” she elaborates.

He only half-listens. “A couple of wha—oh,” he finishes, the meaning having caught up to him. “Yeah, I told you! Yuuri doesn’t let anyone that close nearly this quick!”

“No, I should have listened,” she concedes. “But how do we tell them? It seems like they think they need to hide. I don’t want them to feel that way, like they have to sneak around. I’m happy for them, and I don’t want them to think we’ll judge.”

“I judge a little,” Takeshi says. “Yuuri can definitely do better.”

Yuuko hits him across the chest and while she knows it doesn’t hurt, he still says ‘ow’ anyways.

_—-_

It takes far longer than it should to get an opening, but Yuuko Nishigori at age 25 is a very patient woman thanks to the lovely-yet-unstoppable triplets she calls hers. 

Four days later, Takeshi and Victor discuss travel plans for Chugoku. Yuuko’s handling the Ice Castle since she drew the short straw, so Takeshi and Minako are going to lend support for this early stage of Yuuri’s comeback. Yuuri is alone, mostly out of earshot chugging an Aquarius in a new Mizuno jacket. He rotates his head around and she can hear his neck crack. She winces in response—it was loud and sounded painful. 

His bangs are limp from sweat and he's put his glasses back on. Yuuko stands next to him. “So, you look good!”

Yuuri gives her a bashful smile. “Thanks.”

“You’re also in a great mood lately,” she continues. “Did something happen?”

He is, it’s not a line to fish for info. He’s lighter, more laid back when not focused on skating. He seems more Yuuri than Yuuri, definitely more Yuuri than the Yuuri who came to this rink with his tail between his legs in March. He looks determined like he’s letting himself want it, but he’s also happy on a deep level she’s not sure he sees.

Yuuri’s expression doesn’t change but his eyes immediately dart to Victor, lingering long enough it’s a clear tell. “Not really.”

Yuuko tries the second tactic: obnoxious needling. “Really. Nothing? Nothing at all?” She pretends to think. “Victor seems happy. Is he seeing someone in town?”

Yuuri’s expression is like a deer in headlights and a spy casing the joint for an escape at once. The way his eyes shift back and forth shout that he’s trying to figure out a response that won’t give them away. He finally chokes out a “…Maybe.”

Yuuko nudges Yuuri. “Really? How’d he meet them? He’s always with you.” Yuuri’s face would blend in with a red carpet at a film premier, and while Yuuko anticipated some kind of flailing denial common to the language of the Yuuri, she sees now he’s actually scared. Her tactic changes instantly. “Yuuri,” she offers in a whisper. “It’s okay. I know, alright? It’s okay. We both know, and we’re happy for you.”

Yuuri covers his mouth for a minute or so. “Okay. Don’t say anything. Mari and Minako know but—no one else! And don’t tell the girls! It’ll be all over the internet!”

“Why is it a secret?” Yuuko asks.

“We’re not ready,” Yuuri answers. “There’s…concerns."

“About him also coaching you?” Yuuko screws up her mouth in thought.

“Yeah,” Yuuri says after a long pause. “Yeah, that’s an issue.”

Ah. Makes sense. “Okay, well…I’ll keep mum. So will Takeshi, promise.”

Yuuri relaxes again. His cheeks fade to their normal coloring, and he drinks more of the sports beverage. 

Yuuko punches him in the arm. “You’re cute together. It’s sweet, and he’s a catch. Don’t screw it up.”

Yuuri looks at Victor with so much affection she doesn’t know how he stays upright, though when he speaks his tone is a bit strained. “Don’t worry. His happiness comes first.”


	7. It Might Have Appeared to Go Unnoticed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiroko Katsuki holds no illusions about her son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was also a tumblr prompt and I'm just putting it here instead of there mostly for expediency. An anon asked for Hiroko's POV on Yuuri and Victor. I didn't fulfill the birthday party suggestion in the prompt (sorry, Anon) but I quite liked writing her. The women in Yuuri's life have all impacted him in obvious and subtle ways, and I believe his mother is no exception to this rule. 
> 
> This piece basically runs from episode 1 until Chapter 7: Beijing 2 of Taker. 
> 
> The title for this chapter is taken from "Wind Beneath My Wings." Protip: when writing about Hiroko's feelings for Yuuri, listening to a Spotify playlist called "Mother-Son Wedding Dances" is a great idea if you want to ugly cry in your town's library on a Friday night.

While she’s never fully grasped figure skating itself, Hiroko has also never lacked clarity concerning its meaning to her son which is why she pretended not to hear his tears and regret on the phone in December. They cut through her like a bowman hitting a trick bullseye, but for his sake she disregarded them when he spoke. The lack of pride and ease in him upon his return was a graver wound, like a slow bleeding cut that turns gangrenous and before she could see a doctor, an entire limb was gone. 

Two weeks later, a jet lagged man she’d know anywhere thanks to the the twelve years his laminated face papered Yuuri’s bedroom walls whirled into her orbit with his lively, sweet Makkachin and a shipping pallet full of belongings. 

Yuuri emitted panicked screams, but he also shone more than he did upon his return. He wasn’t the bright star she saw to Fukuoka airport five years ago, not yet, but Victor came and with time, he held a mirror to Yuuri that wasn’t covered in the dust and cracks of his self-doubt so Yuuri saw again with clarity the treasure he is. 

Not to say her son is perfect. Far from it—Hiroko would know better than anyone except perhaps Mari. The occasional moodiness and inability to see outside of his own thoughts and feelings, the lack of comprehension when he is callous to someone close…Hiroko has broken up shouted sibling fights and has also apologized on his behalf to Minako too many occasions to count.

Yuuri is loving, but Yuuri is self-focused, even as far as self-involved. 

She wouldn’t change a thing about him. 

Victor comes in April and announces he's staying in May, and Hiroko watches him eat her food like he’s starved his whole life. She hears him laugh, open and light. She sees hi smile, though it’s different from all the ones she’s seen in the press clippings. Vibrant, perhaps, instead of frozen. 

Most of all, she sees his eyes track Yuuri when he leaves the room; they're full of light and a yearning she isn’t sure he knows fill his heart. Hiroko remembers boxes in careful, pristine wrapping of homemade Valentine's chocolate that go unreturned on White Day. She remembers the voices of the local regulars' kids when they’d ask if Yuuri was around, only to be told he was at the Ice Castle or Minako’s ballet studio. Their disappointment and hopeful requests to relay they came by were palpable, and she always felt a string of pity when Yuuri would shrug and say a too-casual remark about offering a hello during lunch at school.

Hiroko sees Victor watching her son like he hung the moon. She witnesses his requests for ways to spend free time together—sightseeing around Hasetsu, trying Japanese foods that are unfamiliar, watching movies and shows, taking care of Makkachin—Yuuri usually says yes but not the way Victor wants, and while Hiroko loves her son, she’s come to love this famous skater who her son worshipped as a boy, praying that Yuuri will see what’s waiting right before his eyes. 

There’s a day during the rainy season when Victor stalks into the onsen looking about as irritated as Hiroko’s ever seen. She didn’t know he could frown at all, to be honest. “Vicchan?” she asks with concern.

Victor pauses mid-stride and gives her a look. His smile is not genuine, his tone just as false. “Hiroko-san,” he says. “Yuuri never showed for practice. I think perhaps we’ll rest today and do something else.”

There was a longer than usual morning rush at the onsen, and she realizes she never saw Yuuri eat breakfast or leave. Hiroko gives Victor a nod and a smile. “He oversleeps sometimes,” she says. “We’ve always tried to make him go to bed earlier than he does. Try his room.”

The tension leaves Victor’s posture by a small measure. This time, his smile is full of real gratitude. “Thank you, Hiroko-san,” he tells her as he heads to Yuuri’s room. They do not practice, run, dance, or anything else that day. Instead, Victor takes Yuuri and Makkachin to the shore for the afternoon. Upon their return with Victor trying to get the last remnants of sand out of his dog’s fur, Yuuri looks clear-headed and calm like he hasn’t for a few days. 

Their tension becomes a strange game, or maybe like a wire close to snapping. When Victor watches Yuuri as he leaves, Yuuri does the same to him, not even aware of it one evening as Mari tries to talk, receiving non-answers in response before she gives up with an annoyed sound. Somewhere between one and two weeks after the beach, Hiroko gives Victor his breakfast and Yuuri is headed for a jog.Thanks to the slowing of his gait and the averting of his eyes, it becomes obvious. He blushes like a schoolboy with Victor flushed as well, smiling full of pride, warmth, and gratitude. 

Trying to spare her son’s dignity, she asks if he’s ill. He skitters away with an overly-specific denial and disappears. Victor sips his tea and enjoys his miso, his posture relaxed and full of joy.

Completely unaware that he is---unsurprisingly so---Yuuri, too, is happy.

Hiroko watches, knowing him the way only a mother can. He doesn’t confess or open up to her, but she knows. She knows in how he lets Victor touch him without dodging or stepping aside. It’s in how he smiles at him, at how he touches him back when he thinks no one sees, his hand stroking his wrist or knee under the table. It’s in his tone of voice when he calls after him and how Hiroko knows his bed hasn’t been used since early August.

Since _Tanabata_ , she realizes. Yuuri stopped sleeping in his own room for good the day they went to the _matsuri_ , his closet mostly empty now that his laundry mixes with Victor's.

He still says nothing to the family, and Hiroko knows better than to press. He competes in his local qualifiers and breaks his previous records. He packs for China with Victor, and they say goodbye before dawn to catch a train to Fukuoka. They watch him skate with Makkachin to her right; the first day, he performs so perfectly she knows Yuuri will likely crash from his self-imposed pressure. 

She watches before he skates again, and he’s been crying with a somber, close-hovering Victor by his side. They have a terse exchange and then Yuuri performs in glimmering blue and violet. He falls, he stumbles, but he’s so full of grace and love it doesn’t matter. She fights the happy tears down as a smile escapes from a large lump in her throat, and then Yuuri attempts a jump the say is Victor's signature, falls, and the crowd goes wild. 

It’s not the worst she’s witnessed, but it’s not as clean as the day before. Perhaps it is more meaningful for it.

Victor runs and Yuuri skates to the exit, and then they’re falling, Victor’s lips pressed to his for the world to witness. Hiroko covers her mouth with one hand, her tears bright in her eyes now for another reason. Mari is unamused, the Nishigoris are quiet at first before cheering. Her husband’s brows are knit together. “All this over a hug,” he says. “They hug all the time.”

Mari gives him a bewildered look, but Hiroko doesn’t argue or correct him, too busy wondering if Yuuri recognizes Victor’s gesture for what it means.

They’re home a few days later, Victor disappearing with Makkachin while Yuuri asks for a family meeting. Mari’s expression says she knew too, Toshiya remains in denial (Yuuri had to get it from _somewhere_ ), and Hiroko listens as her son says it out loud, perhaps even to himself for the first time. Finally, she asks, “Yuuri, can you fetch Vic-chan?”

There’s fear on his face, though Hiroko can’t understand why. Her days spent teaching Victor the inn’s recipes, helping him with writing kanji and Japanese consonant combinations muddled from his Russian accent, their combined doting over Makkachin—he may as well be a second son, her newly gained middle child. “Um—“

“Just bring him,” she says. They both need to know it’s good, that they’re more than accepting. 

Yuuri leaves and returns with Victor and Makkachin. They sit close in a row as a trio. “Yes?” Victor asks. 

She hugs him, her new, taller, Russian son. Though perhaps not-so-new—perhaps he has been since he came while snow covered the sakura. Perhaps he when he opened the doors within Yuuri, she thinks as he hugs her back with a confused face, and perhaps Yuuri opened the windows of his own soul in return. 

“Welcome to the family, Vic-chan.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Credit where it's due---
> 
> Ch 1: Prompt by DefiantDreams: _omg!!! outsider POV (idk, phichit, the Katsukis, Chris???) of the early days of Taker when they were still just having sex <3 thank u dommi!_  
> Ch 2: Prompt by nagoyadelay: _For taker: tell me about the first time Victor and Minako got drunk together <3_  
> Ch 3: Prompt by Caesaria: _I'm absolutely terrible at prompts (aren't all writers?!) but I would love to see you write about a time in Taker that Yuuri was unintentionally super soft and romantic and it totally destroyed Victor in a good way. I'm in a sappy mood for some reason_  
>  Ch 4: Prompt by anon: _How about (and I'm hoping I don't regret this) anniversary for a prompt? Congrats on 600!!_  
>  Ch 5: Prompt by domokunrainbowkinz: _Lover, Please Stay by Nothing but Thieves_  
>  Ch 6: Prompt by anon: _Well, now I gotta know how the Nishigoris found out..._  
>  Ch 7: Prompt by anon: _I’d love to see a scene from Taker through Hiroko’s POV, it could be anything! The first time she knew about Yuuri and Victor or even the birthday party in the most recent chapter._
> 
> If you have a Taker 'verse prompt, by all means [please send an ask to my Tumblr](http://sinkingorswimming.tumblr.com)!


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